BASEBALL/Taiwan climbs to 3rd spot in WBSC men's baseball world rankings

Taipei, Sept. 4 (CNA) Taiwan has climbed to third place in the latest men's baseball world rankings, released by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) on Wednesday, behind Japan and Mexico.

Taiwan secured third place at the U15 Baseball World Cup in August, earning 335 points, which allowed it to surpass the United States in the rankings. Japan continues to hold the top spot.

The rankings are based on performances over the past four years in tournaments such as the U12, U15, and U18 Baseball World Cups, along with the European and Pan-American qualifiers. Points from the 2019 WBSC Premier12 tournament were excluded from this cycle.

Apart from the third-place finish at the U15 World Cup this year, which earned it 335 points, Taiwan was the runner-up at the U18 World Cup last year, earning 459 points. It also claimed third place at the 2022 U23 World Cup, adding 502 points.

These results raised Taiwan's total to 3,706 points, moving it into the top three.

Japan, which won the U15 World Cup, earned 460 points from that victory. It also secured 575 points from winning last year's U18 World Cup, and 1,150 points for its triumph in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Japan remains firmly in first place with 4,899 points.

Mexico holds onto second place, having earned 236 points for finishing 6th at the U15 World Cup this year, bringing its total to 4,063 points.

The U.S., which did not gain any points from the U15 tournament, finished fourth at last year's U18 World Cup, adding 377 points, and won the U12 World Cup in 2023, securing 345 points.

However, its total of 3,587 points saw it to drop one position to fourth place.

Venezuela moved up one spot to fifth, with a total of 3,489 points, while South Korea, having not participated in this year's U15 tournament, saw no additional points and dropped two spots to sixth place, with a total of 3,251 points.